To The Survivors

Roadrunner, who lost his eyes after being strangled and thrown from 3rd story balcony Photo Source: kansascity.com

Being a pet lover, many stories about pets and their ability to forgive deeply touches me. In the past few months, though, there have been a couple of stories that stood out because of the resilience of the pets involved, despite the sad and sometimes terrible things they endured.

The first story is local, involving a dog now known as Roadrunner. Roadrunner is about 3 years old, believed to be a Tibetan spaniel. Late last year he was rescued after being strangled and thrown from a third story balcony by his owner. The dog’s eyes were so badly damaged they had to be removed, leaving him blinded. He’d been repeatedly abused, and his abuser was charged with felony animal abuse.

Although he’d been through terrible torture, once rescued Roadrunner began his road to recovery. The staff at KC Pet Project were amazed at how well he recovered, and fundraising helped pay for his medical expenses.

Once he’d healed, Roadrunner was moved into a foster home, where he has since become a permanent member of the family. With some adjustment because of his blindness, he’s thrived in a loving environment and is acting like a normal dog.

The second story is about a sweet orange and white tabby named Tiger Tim. He was 7 years old and had lived in the same home since he was 3 months old. He was surrendered to the New York City Animal Control Center because his owner was buying a new couch.

Tim was so distraught that he refused to eat or drink, losing about 3 pounds after he was surrendered. Rescue workers were feeding him by hand to keep him alive. He was put on the list to be euthanized before being pulled by a local rescue, Magnificat. Blood work was done to determine if Tim had underlying medical issues, and it turned out his white blood cell count was high, ultimately Tim was diagnosed with advanced cancer.

After being rescued, Tim, although quite ill, acted normal, investigating his new surroundings and getting to know, and charm, those around him. The rescue workers stayed with him,

Tiger Tim, abandoned by owner in favor of new couchPhoto Source: facebook.com/MagnificatCatRescue

gave him total love, and he thrived as much as he could before succumbing to his illness this weekend.

Both of these stories are testament to the extraordinary ability pets have to forgive and trust humans again after enduring extreme torture and heartache. In Roadrunner’s case, his story led to the establishment of a fund to help pay medical expenses for other extremely abused pets entering the shelter get the care they need to heal. For Tiger Tim, he brought light to those that had the chance to meet and care for him. Thousands were made aware of his story and contributed to help with his expenses as well.

Roadrunner and Tiger Tim experienced grave physical and mental damage before finding their true “happy place.” It’s so sad they had to go through it to finally find the true love and care they both so richly deserved. As a line from one of my favorite songs says, “it’s always darkest before the dawn.”

These boys serve as inspiration to me to keep going, even if it’s hard to see light because eventually it will come! To the survivors like Roadrunner and Tiger Tim, I salute you! Thank you for sharing your journey with us.